General News of Friday, 21 March 2003

Source: Daily Guide

Another Rawlings "Boom" In London

Ex-President Jerry John Kwashie Rawlings has done it again – by delivering another ‘BOOM’ outburst, this time in London.

In a recent interview with a London-based magazine, Ghana Review International (GRI), he said “they don’t like what’s going on. It’s just too painful, too humiliating, there is a lot of anger in the country. You can – it’s like volatile fuel, just light a match and throw it inside. The country could have been blown up several times over…. I mean, that’s how dangerous it is”.

The interview according to the magazine, was conducted during Rawlings’ recent visit to London and described him as being “in a state a high emotion and plainly angry. Angry at what he presents as a creeping culture of factionalism and petty-mindedness fostered by the New Patriotic Party (NPP).” It said, not for nothing is he known as ‘Jerry Boom’, he feels deeply for ordinary Ghanaians: but this quickly spills over into something else – he becomes deliberately provocative.’ Rawlings added, “that is why they’re (the NPP) concentrating on physical security.

We lasted that long not because I was talking about physical security but because I was ensuring proper political security.”

Regarding the National Reconciliation Commission (NRC), Rawlings is said to have gone off at a tangent, “I can give your evidence to prove that they have ulterior motives. But let me tell you that the only answer I will give you to this whole thing is that these people are not prepared to come to terms with the revolt of June 4.

They cannot reconcile themselves with the revolt of June 4; that is their problem. He added, “There is nothing for us to reconcile about. They are the ones who have to reconcile themselves to what June 4 stood for, why it happened, why it had to happen. In other words, they want to punish people for punishing them. They did the criminal things and were punished for it and there’re lucky most of them got away with it and are alive.